Reel Cinema registered as Asset of Community Value
Fans of the Reel Cinema (former ABC) gathered this week to celebrate a step foward in their efforts to save building. The modest victory came as Plymouth City Council announced that the Reel has been added to its Assets of Community Value register, giving the community the right to bid for the building should it be put up for sale.
The Asset of Community Value designation provides local communities with an opportunity to bid to purchase community assets when they are placed for sale on the open market. In the case of the Reel Cinema, it will mean that groups who have been fighting to save the building from demolition and redevelopment as student flats, may have 6 months in which to put together a bid to buy the building if the current owner decides to sell.
The building was nominated by local conservation charity Plymouth Architectural Trust, who worked with the Reel Cinema Preservation Group to prepare the application. "This decision provides a vital lifeline for the Reel, and is real endorsement of the principle of saving the building. The Asset of Community Value status acknowledges that a property is valued by the community both for the memories it holds and for the service it continue to provide." said Hilary Kolinsky, Secretary & Treasurer for Plymouth Architectural Trust.